


Mom Bomb Motel

by SirAdamus



Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/F, FFVIIR Spoilers, no seriously i am spoiling like the end of the game here so a big heads up on that, warning for graphic depictions of hand holding and sustained eye contact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23989942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirAdamus/pseuds/SirAdamus
Summary: After a long few days, our heroes are in need of a good rest - and where better to go when you're stuck in the middle of nowhere than a dingy roadside motel where, oops, looks like there's not enough rooms and two of you are going to have to share. Hope nobody accidentally catches feelings.Spoilers for the FFVII Remake, obviously.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart
Comments: 48
Kudos: 439





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, this is the first fanfic I have written in, well, years. So it isn't perfect but hopefully it's enjoyable. I do have a whole plan for this thing that I am intent on sticking to so hopefully it won't be too long before the next chapter. And also, for the third and final time, big spoiler warning, this is set after the end of the FFVIIR story and so naturally contains spoilers.

It had been hours since they left Midgar. No one was sure quite how long; no one had a watch, their phones had all been lost or broken, and - having been stranded out in the middle of nowhere - they couldn’t ask anyone for the time either. It had been long enough for the rain to have stopped, the sun to have passed overhead and begin its descent again, but that was about as far as they knew. To literally everyone’s disappointment, they had lost the car after being dumped out of the cosmic space wedgie of destiny, so they’d had to walk this whole way, not really sure where they were going.

Aerith was having the worst of it – she’d never left the city before and the most exercise she usually got was when she went to the other Sectors to sell flowers, or fighting off the occasional groups of monsters. A full day’s hike over uneven and unfamiliar terrain was completely different to what she was used to. Wounds and bruises she could heal with Cure magic, but there was nothing she could do against plain exhaustion.

She didn’t want to mention how tired she was, even with her pace slowing as the others got further ahead – sure, she had been fighting all night too and the fight against the Whispers and Sephiroth had pushed all of them to their limits, but Cloud, Tifa and Barret had climbed all the way up to Shinra HQ from the ruins of Sector 7 to find her; it wouldn’t be fair to complain when they must be even more exhausted.

The only one who didn’t seem fatigued as he walked ahead of the group was the newest addition to their little band of misfits, Red XIII – maybe having four legs helped, she’d have to remember to ask him.

 _This hasn’t been so bad_ , Aerith thought to herself, _with all the dust, cliffs and rocks, it isn’t much different from the slums._

She looked up at the sky – terrifying, daunting, not a hint of metal in sight. A vast, unending reminder of what she was leaving behind, and the unknown of what is to come. It was also beautiful, in a way that living below the Sector 5 plate had never been. Seeing the horizon burning with orange light was something she could get used to seeing, Aerith decided.

And, having made that decision, she promptly stumbled over a rock.

“Crap!” she yelped.

The ground was speeding towards her, faster than she could think to do something, when she jolted to a stop halfway down.

A strong, firm arm was hooked around her waist, holding her steady. Aerith looked to see who had caught her, and found Tifa looking back at her.

“Dammit,” Aerith said as she caught her breath, with Tifa gently helping her back to her feet – putting a hand on her shoulder while moving the other to a more supportive position against her back.

“Are you okay? Let’s just take a breather.” Tifa looked over to Cloud, Barret and Red, calling out, “Guys? Can we break for a sec?”

“You saved me – again. You’re really making a habit of this,” Aerith grinned as Tifa turned back to her.

Tifa laughed a little. “Anytime,” she said.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

“Everything okay back there?” Barret yelled over to them.

“I’m fine! I just tripped!” Aerith shouted back, waving.

Tifa didn’t seem convinced, “Are you sure you’re okay? We’ve all had a _really_ long few days, it’s okay if you need to stop.”

Aerith opened her mouth to protest, to lie that she was fine and could keep going, but Tifa’s red eyes, so gentle and full of concern, made her look away. “I…” she couldn’t say it.

“Come on,” Tifa took Aerith’s hand between hers, “I know we have a mission, but if we don’t take care of ourselves then we’re just doing Sephiroth’s job for him. If you need to rest, then please, tell us.”

Aerith put her other hand over Tifa’s, part of her wondering just how many times they’d held hands like this over the last few days – she liked how natural it felt.

She smiled, “Okay, you win! I’m exhausted, I don’t know how much further I can walk.”

Tifa smiled back, “Alright. We’ll stop for today, let’s get off our feet for a while and figure out how we’re gonna spend the night.”

* * *

The group took their rest in the shade of an overhanging ridge nearby. Tifa had found a flat enough boulder that Aerith could lie down on and rest for a while.

Tifa was relieved – she knew their pace was unfeasible in the long run and, while they had only had to deal with small roving bands of monsters so far, if they were to keep going, eventually they would run into something they would all be too exhausted to fight. Just sitting and leaning against this boulder, as uncomfortable as the ground was, was a welcome relief after such a long day.

Of course, now came the issue of what they were going to do now.

Camping here was a no go - Cloud rightly pointed out that they didn’t have tents to make camp with, and Barret followed that explaining that sleeping out here under the stars would just leave them exposed to the elements and the monsters (and a campfire would be absolutely off-limits unless they wanted to tell every monster for kilometers around exactly where they were), not to mention sleeping on the ground in this dust bowl would be a very literal pain in the ass.

Red had gone off a little while ago to see whether there were any caves nearby that they could shelter in. He was definitely built for this kind of environment – more than any of them were anyhow.

Tifa let her mind wander as the shadows lengthened. Now that she had time to rest she was really starting to feel just how _long_ the last few days had been – too long, really, with far, far too much to process all at once.

She looked at her right hand; she could still feel the impact of her fist against Sephiroth’s face when their group had faced him earlier. It wasn’t enough, by any stretch, for what he had done, but she felt a savage satisfaction over it. For now, she had that.

“What are they doing?” Aerith asked, starting Tifa out of her thoughts, as she slid down next to her and gestured over to the guys.

“Huh? Oh – I _think_ Barret bet he could throw that rock further than Cloud can.” Tifa turned to smile at Aerith, “Feeling a bit better?”

Aerith stretched her arms over her head and yawned, “Well, I’ve had worse naps – remember when we fell into the sewers?”

God, that felt so long ago now, it had only been, what? Two, three days? So much had changed since then, and Aerith had become such an important person in her life in an incredibly short time, Tifa wasn’t even sure when that happened, it just felt like Aerith was _always_ supposed to be with them – actually considering what she had learned last night, that was an undeniable fact. Still, how was she so able to trust someone so deeply when she had only known her for less than a week?

“So why aren’t you out there? You’re super strong, I bet you’d have no trouble winning that game,” Aerith said playfully.

Tifa laughed, “Definitely. But,” she paused for a second, “I’m not gonna just leave you over here by yourself.”

Aerith elbowed her playfully, “Aw, you’re so sweet! I’m plenty strong too, you know.” She puffed her chest and flexed her arms, making Tifa laugh again, “I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt it. I remember that move you did with the chair.”

“Mom and I used to watch a lot of wrestling. Still,” She looked down, her hair falling forward so Tifa couldn’t see her eyes, “I appreciate you keeping me company. It’s nice - having friends, I mean.”

Tifa put a supportive hand on her shoulder, smiling as Aerith looked back to her.

“Ten points! I win!” Barret cheered as the rock thumped to the ground.

“I don’t understand this game!” came Cloud’s frustrated response.

“Oh no.” Tifa looked over at the pair, her shoulders tensed, hoping the two weren’t about to start arguing again.

“Oh, don’t worry about them, Tifa, it’ll be fine, probably.” This time it was Aerith’s turn to put a reassuring hand on Tifa’s shoulder. Tifa turned to her, meeting those green eyes of hers again. Tifa felt herself relax, the tension in her shoulders loosening. Once again, she was thankful Aerith was around – she seemed to already have a knack for knowing when Tifa was getting worked up and anxious and knew just what to say to diffuse that worry.

“I bring good news.”

Tifa and Aerith both jumped at the voice from behind them. Turning, Tifa saw Red XIII standing on the rock they had been leaning against – he must have leapt down from the ridge, but could he have really been _that_ quiet?

“Great!” Aerith said brightly. She stood up, brushing dirt from her dress, and called out, “Hey Barret, Cloud! Red’s back!”

Tifa clambered to her feet too. She also tried to brush some of the dirt off of her, but she was already covered in so much sweat and grime that it hardly seemed worth it.

“Good news?” she asked, as Cloud and Barret joined them.

“There’s a road about a kilometer and a half west of here with some buildings alongside. One was advertising rooms.” Red told them.

“What, like a motel?” Cloud asked.

“Yes. All of their rooms are unoccupied, they do not seem to get much business out here.”

“How’d you figure that out?” Cloud raised an eyebrow.

“I asked.”

“And uh, they just told you?” Barret seemed incredulous. Tifa stifled a giggle at the image of their big cat-slash-dog-slash-whatever-he-was friend walking into this place to ask about their rooms, it must have been quite the shock to the staff.

“After they had finished screaming, yes.” Red said flatly.

“Alright, looks like we have a plan,” Tifa said, smiling broadly at the others. She turned to Aerith, “You okay to walk a bit longer?”

Aerith smiled at her, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, “If I say no, will you carry me?”

Tifa blinked, she didn’t know what to say. The mental image of her carrying Aerith in her arms popped unbidden into her head, and she realised her face was starting to get hot.

“Kidding!” Aerith giggled, looping her arm around Tifa’s elbow and pulling her along, marching forward towards their new destination, “Lead the way, Red!”


	2. Chapter 2

The sun had nearly completely sunk below the horizon when the five of them finally trudged to a halt by the side of the road. The lights by the roadside, some of them from the motel Red had mentioned, as well as a few other small businesses, had guided them for the last half hour as it got too dark to see.

Of course, now, Tifa was starting to wish she couldn’t see at all.

“Mom Bomb Motel?” she shook her head in disbelief at the big, gaudy sign; it displayed the name of the place painted in big red letters, accompanied by caricatures of Bomb monsters, weaving between the letters or chewing on them, with a much larger one – the Mom Bomb, she assumed – sat in place of the first ‘O’. Whose idea was this?

“Feel like you could’ve mentioned the name.” Cloud said dryly to Red.

“I appreciate that you didn’t ask if I could read. I did not think it would matter, it’s a place to rest, after all.”

“Guys, Red’s right – this is as good a place as any. Would you rather sleep in the dirt?” Aerith asked.

“Tempting.”

“Cloud!” Tifa was too tired to deal with him being a moody jerk to people right now.

“Besides, I kinda like the name – it’s got a rhythm to it. _Could_ do without the sign though.”

“Well, whatever it’s called, it’s the only place we’re getting a good night’s sleep. Let’s mosey on in there and get settled.” Barret clapped Cloud on the back to push him towards the motel reception.

As they all began to head inside, Red stopped. “I’ll stay out here – I have no desire to sleep in confinement again,” he told Aerith and Tifa, as the other two kept going.

Aerith crouched down to his eye level. “Okay, be safe.”

He nodded, before turning and bounding off into the dark.

 _It wouldn’t be right to ask him to stay indoors after he spent so long trapped in a cage._ Tifa thought, peering out into the gloom to see where he had gone, but even the flame on the end of his tail had disappeared. _And we don’t want to scare the people here even more, but still, he shouldn’t have to be alone._

“Hey, Tifa?”

She turned to Aerith, who was still crouched near the ground with her hands on her knees.

“I can’t get up.”

“What?”

Aerith smiled weakly up at her, “My legs are too tired, I can’t stand up.”

“O-okay. Let me help,” Tifa got down on her knee, taking Aerith’s left hand over her shoulder and placing her other hand on Aerith’s waist to support her as much as possible. She pushed up, allowing them both to stand, and Aerith gasped.

Tifa immediately turned her head, finding Aerith’s big green eyes looking right at her, their faces only centimeters apart. Tifa found herself lost for words for a second, before she blinked and looked down at where her hand was on Aerith’s waist, “Are you okay? Am I holding too tight?”

She started to take her hand away, but Aerith put her free hand over Tifa’s and moved it back to where she had been holding.

“Oh no, you’re fine. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Aerith said softly, smiling at her again.

Tifa looked forward, trying to ignore the heat flushing into her cheeks. “Right, let’s, um, let’s get inside. Hopefully the guys will have already gotten us our rooms.”

* * *

Aerith hadn’t meant to gasp. Really. It was just that Tifa suddenly being so close had temporarily made her forget how to breathe.

It hadn’t even been the first time this happened; Aerith remembered last night when Tifa had pulled her away from the Whispers surrounding her, and she suddenly found herself staring into those gentle red eyes. That would be enough to take anyone’s breath away.

Now, here she was, staring at Tifa again as they walked through the door of the motel reception. When they were in the light properly, Aerith could see an adorable tinge of pink on Tifa’s cheeks, and fought down the urge to tease her about it.

She looked around the place – it wasn’t _terrible_ , all things considered. The wallpaper was only just starting to peel and the flicker in the fluorescent light strip was barely noticeable, so it wasn’t really any worse than places she had seen around Midgar.

The only person in the room was Cloud, standing awkwardly next to the front desk.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me we don’t have enough gil. And where’s Barret?” Tifa asked.

“We had enough. Barret’s already gone through.” Cloud jerked his head towards an exit near the back.

Aerith raised an eyebrow – if they had enough then what was the problem?

Cloud shoved his hand towards her, holding it expectantly for her to take what was in it. Sighing, partly out of tired exasperation for Cloud’s lack of tact and partly because she had to let go of Tifa’s hand on her waist, Aerith held out her right hand for Cloud to give her whatever it was.

He opened his fist and dropped a key into her hand, the wooden block on its attached keyring had a 3 shakily carved into it.

 _Ah,_ Aerith thought, _so that’s it._

“Wait, didn’t Red say all their rooms were free?” Tifa kept looking between the key in Aerith’s back to Cloud.

“I think they are, it’s just there’s only three rooms.” Aerith said.

“Yup. Night.” Cloud walked off, sidling clumsily out of the door to fit his giant sword through.

Aerith turned the key over in her hand, “I love our team talks.”

Tifa snorted at that, “Oh well, guess there’s no point complaining about it now.”

Aerith was quiet for a moment, before she turned to Tifa, a grin on her face, “Right, so you don’t have to worry about me falling over or anything, we’re sharing! I know you’ll be there to catch me if I do.”

Aerith was just joking, so she was a little surprised when Tifa only nodded slightly.

“Hey, are you doing alright? I mean, _really_ alright?”

Tifa sighed, and as she was still holding onto Aerith, Aerith could feel Tifa’s shoulders sag as she did.

“I don’t know, I just- I need to have a hot shower and go to sleep.”

“Yeah, I getcha, me too.”

Tifa looked around the little room for a moment, but Aerith had a feeling she wasn’t really seeing it, she was somewhere else. They hadn’t been in danger for a while now, but she had a feeling Tifa was still as stressed as she had been when they were navigating the sewers back in Midgar. Aerith readjusted her left hand around Tifa’s, giving it a supportive squeeze.

Tifa blinked, then straightened her shoulders, giving Aerith a small smile as she started walking them both through the reception towards the back door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wasn't expecting to write some of this chapter - the original planning notes I have go almost immediately from them arriving at the motel to pretty much the start of what is going to be the next chapter, but when I started to write I felt that going straight there would have made the pacing wonky and jarring, so I fleshed it out some more, used the opportunity to get a little more characterisation and shippy moments in. Hope it was enjoyable!
> 
> Also, just, big thank you for the positive response the first chapter got - I did get a little overwhelmed by that, I really wasn't expecting this to even get a fraction of the attention it did get.


	3. Chapter 3

Aerith sat on the bed in the motel room, taking down her braid as she listened to the muffled rhythm of water falling from within the small shower room in the corner.

Their lodgings for the night were not much to write home about, not that she _could_ write home right now. She wondered for a moment how her mom and Marlene were holding up, and hoped Shinra was leaving them alone.

The room wasn’t very spacious, furnished with only a single bed, a couch and an old TV with a bent antenna. She appreciated that the purple wallpaper wasn’t as gaudy as the sign out front, but it only made the room feel smaller. However, Aerith had been surprised to hear that this room was more luxurious than Tifa’s apartment.

Tifa had stepped out after they had gotten to the room and bought some things from one of the nearby stores, so they could get cleaned up and not have to sleep covered in sweat and dust. She had also picked up some snack bars, as neither of them had eaten all day – they weren’t very tasty, but it was better than going hungry.

Aerith finished with her hair when the sound of the water stopped. She looked behind her towards the shower room, but she knew it would be a little while before Tifa came out of there.

She sat back for a moment, thinking back on the last few days – Aerith liked Tifa, a lot. She felt safe around her, Tifa just had this warmth in her smile that genuinely made Aerith believe things would turn out okay. On the other hand, Aerith felt the desire to comfort Tifa in return – she had realised not long after they met that Tifa found it difficult to get out of her own head when she was anxious over things beyond her control. She had taken it upon herself in the sewers to keep Tifa grounded, to get her mind off of things and look forward to something fun.

Tifa clearly felt so deeply about everything, and Aerith didn’t want her to have to deal with that alone.

The shower room door clicked open, and Aerith turned around again. Tifa walked out, all cleaned up and her hair wrapped in a towel. She had bought some spare clothes for them to sleep in too, intending to take their dirty gear to the downstairs laundromat, and Aerith couldn’t even say she was surprised to see that Tifa managed to look damn good in a tacky novelty tank top and shorts; she was pretty sure Tifa could look gorgeous in just about anything.

She stood, thankful that the short rest and the food had given her enough strength back for that, and walked over to the shower room.

Tifa looked a lot more relaxed as she stretched her arms above her head. The motion lifted her top enough that Aerith got a good view of her impressive abs, which Aerith was torn between feeling envious of and wanting to touch. She made herself stop staring at Tifa’s abs, looking up to Tifa’s arms, partially silhouetted against a halo of artificial light from inside the shower room – now clean with her firm muscles illuminated wonderfully. Aerith paused, wondering idly how it would feel to be held in those arms.

“Aerith?”

“Whuh?” Aerith shook herself out of her trance, focusing on Tifa’s face.

“You doing okay?” There were those eyes again, just as soft and full of concern as her voice.

Aerith smiled, “Just a little distracted. How about you? Are you feeling better?”

Tifa looked a little thrown for a second, as she seemed to every time Aerith asked how she was, before smiling gratefully, “Much better. I really needed that.”

“Okay, well, I’m gonna get cleaned up – and you had better not have used up all the hot water!” she wagged a finger in Tifa’s face, smirking as she said it.

Tifa laughed, stepping to the side to let Aerith through to the shower room. Aerith felt a warmth in her chest at the sound of Tifa’s laughter – the same warmth she felt when Tifa gave her those comforting smiles of hers. It was a feeling she could definitely get used to.

As she passed Tifa, she took one last glance at her friend, eyes trailing down towards her muscular arms again. She frowned slightly as her gaze passed over Tifa’s collarbone, just as the light above highlighted a thin, pale line on Tifa’s skin, starting from her left shoulder and extending diagonally down towards her other side, disappearing under her tank top.

A scar. Obviously, the damage had been repaired with healing materia, but a scar meant it must have been a horrific injury. Most wounds didn’t leave any trace at all when magic was used, but she had seen in the past that near-fatal injuries, when healed even with the strongest of Cure magic, would still leave scars. Thin, barely visible scars unless the light caught them, due to how healing magic worked, but scars all the same.

Aerith didn’t want to pry – didn’t want to make Tifa relive the trauma that was certainly there – especially not right now. She kept moving, trying to focus on how much she wanted to shower and finally not be so sweaty and gross after the last few days – and also trying very much not to think about dangerously close Tifa’s scar was to her heart.

* * *

Tifa sat on the bed, letting her damp hair dry naturally as she heard the dim beat of water hitting the floor through the walls of the shower room.

She felt cleaner than she had in days – between exploring the sewers (twice!), climbing up from the slums to Shinra HQ and all the fighting, she didn’t think she had been covered in so much sweat and dirt in her life. She was still exhausted and her muscles ached after everything, but she didn’t feel nearly as gross.

Tifa sighed, leaning back on her hands. She stared at the ceiling, fully alone with her thoughts for the first time in days.

Aerith was the first thing that came to mind. She remembered how close Aerith’s face had been on the way up to the room, all the times they had held hands, how attentive, kind and funny Aerith had been from the moment they met, like they were already friends.

Her heart beat a little faster, her chest feeling slightly tighter.

Tifa wasn’t oblivious; she had noticed Aerith staring at her more than once, and the flirting had been hard to miss.

At first, Tifa thought it was just Aerith’s way of being friendly, especially as she acted similarly towards Cloud – but as they spent time together, she recognised what Aerith was doing, it was just that Aerith had been flirting with both of them.

Or at least, Tifa was pretty sure that’s what was going on.

She had a lot of experience with guys flirting with her. Sometimes it would be all anyone came into Seventh Heaven to do, which could get annoying. She usually either waited for them to stop talking before rejecting them, or, with the more persistent ones, she would just ignore them and act like they hadn’t said anything.

Tifa hadn’t tried to stop Aerith, or ignored her, and she wasn’t entirely sure why.

She appreciated that Aerith didn’t just compliment her on her looks, so maybe that was it. _Or,_ she thought as a blush crept onto her face again, _it’s because I don’t mind if it’s her._

She bit her lip, embarrassed by the idea. Maybe she was just reading into things and Aerith wasn’t flirting at all, maybe she was just seeing it that way _because_ she didn’t mind, so she wanted to believe that Aerith was flirting with her.

Tifa wasn’t really sure why she felt the way she did about Aerith flirting with her – people flirt with her all the time, it had never made her blush (excepting the few guys who made it an outright humiliating ordeal), and the light-hearted teasing from Aerith was nothing compared to the relentless teasing she had received in the three weeks after meeting Jessie Rasberry.

Tifa’s thoughts slammed to a halt, her face hot, her breathing quick and heavy and eyes pricked with tears. A wave of guilt and horror washed over her – she had forgotten that Jessie died.

She leant forward, tears splashing on her fists as she held them on her legs. Memories of seeing Jessie’s broken body crushed under rubble, watching her die, flashed through her mind. Jessie, Biggs, so many people in Sector 7 had died because they hadn’t been able to stop Shinra, and she had gotten so caught up in everything that happened after, that she had forgotten. It was all flooding back to her now, threatening to overwhelm her as she stared forward, feeling sick to her stomach.

She jumped to her feet – she could feel hot tears on her face, her heart pounding and her mind racing, too much to focus on all at once. _I need some air_ , was the only clear thought she was able to muster, as she stifled a sob and walked out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now we're starting to really get into the meat of the story, with how I have this planned out I think it should only be two more chapters after this, but we'll see.
> 
> This chapter is actually a combination of a couple of scenes I had planned out, because I realised partway through writing the second section of this one that this and next chapter would end up being very similar in terms of what happens (Tifa is alone with her thoughts and gets overwhelmed - some details are different but I was effectively just doing the same thing twice), punctuated with some lighthearted moments in-between (which I'm reworking to happen a little later on); so I thought it would be better tonally to combine those two parts and have the end of this chapter serve as the culmination of an emotional low point instead of dragging it out over two chapters, and the rest of the story being an emotional upswing towards the resolution I'm planning on ending on.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

The cool night air had helped calm Tifa’s mind a little. She could still feel a huge pit of guilt and grief in her stomach, but she felt less anxious and could think clearly again.

She had bought a bottle of chilled water from a nearby vending machine, and found a bench to sit on near the roadside. She had already finished half the bottle, and found herself wishing she had something alcoholic to numb herself with.

Tifa stared out into the gloom, past the light the nearby streetlamp provided. Her eyes were still wet, blurring the light as her thoughts kept drifting back to everything, everyone, that had been lost.

“Focus,” she muttered, trying to keep herself from falling down another spiral of despair, knowing she was going to fail.

Putting the bottle down, she lifted her legs up onto the bench, hugging her knees to her chest. The silence wasn’t helping, it just made the feelings of anguish more suffocating.

Tifa wondered, not for the first time, if she was cursed. Nibelheim, Sector 7 – twice now, her home had been destroyed, people she knew and cared about gone forever. Left standing in the desolation of the machinations of heartless executives who only cared about profits, not about the lives they destroyed. Now here she was again, alone in the dark with all that loss.

“Tifa?”

Tifa looked back towards the motel, placing her feet back on the floor so she could turn fully.

“Oh, there you are!” Aerith’s voice cut through the silence as she came into view, her long hair loose and dressed in the same get-up as Tifa was. She stopped just short of the bench. “Tifa? Are you okay?”

Tifa sniffed, wiping an eye with the back of her hand. “It’s fine. Sorry I ran out without saying anything.”

Aerith caught her hand as she tried to put it back down, holding it in both of hers as she crouched in front of Tifa to look her in the eyes. “Don’t. You’re not fine. Tell me, it’s okay.”

“I don’t–“

“You won’t be burdening me with anything, Tifa. We’re friends. I might not have had many, but I know we’re supposed to be able to confide in each other.” Aerith’s eyes were so full of concern, Tifa could feel her resistance crumbling.

She gingerly placed her free hand over Aerith’s.

“I… I was just trying to relax and I started thinking about everything that’s happened and…” she stopped talking to suppress another sob.

Aerith looked down for a second, before meeting her eyes again, “I get it. It’s a lot to process. Too much.”

Tifa only nodded, looking away.

Aerith, keeping hold of Tifa’s hands, stood slowly and turned a little so she could sit next to her. She placed the hand that wasn’t between Tifa’s on her shoulder.

“Grief is… it’s hard. And it takes a long time to sort out in your head. But you don’t have to live with it alone.”

Tifa looked back at her, her soft smile and sad eyes illuminated by the streetlamp.

“I’m here for you – we all are. So, anytime you need to talk or need someone to listen or if you just want to be distracted for a while, it’s okay to ask, alright?”

Tifa nodded, giving Aerith a weak smile, “Thank you.”

Aerith beamed, “Least I could do – you keep saving me, after all. If you’re gonna keep looking out for me, then I’ll look out for you too, deal?”

Tifa couldn’t help but smile wider, “Okay.”

Before Tifa could react, Aerith had let go of her other hand and pulled Tifa towards herself. She found herself frozen in the hug for a second, her eyes wide and arms raised, before she collected herself.

Tifa repositioned so she could better lean in to Aerith’s embrace, arms slowly wrapping around her back. She was extremely aware of Aerith’s soft skin against hers as she rested her chin on Aerith’s shoulder, and felt her heartbeat quicken again.

It didn’t feel bad this time, in fact, Tifa just felt immense relief. She didn’t know how Aerith kept doing that, but was very grateful that she had become a part of her life.

The hug lasted maybe a moment or two longer than it needed to – but Tifa hadn’t really wanted it to end, and she felt (or hoped) that Aerith hadn’t either. Even as they separated, Aerith kept her hands placed on her shoulders, fingers gently brushing against her neck. Tifa placed her hands on Aerith’s elbows, propping her arms up so she would keep them where they were.

Tifa smiled again, “You know you’ve already helped me a lot, right?” It was true, and not just by helping her get out of her own head. Aerith had pulled her out of danger in the sewers and given her an arm to hold onto when she had been frightened by the ghosts in the train graveyard.

Aerith’s warm smile changed to that impish smirk of hers, “Oh? Well, in that case,” she delicately traced a finger down Tifa’s collarbone – along her scar, Tifa realised. Aerith continued, “if I’ve been doing such a good job already, shouldn’t I get a reward?”

Tifa knew she was joking. _But I want to give you a reward anyway._

She could already feel her cheeks getting warm again just at the idea, but she felt that Aerith also deserved a little payback for all the teasing. That thought emboldened her and she swallowed her nerves.

“Yeah, I think you should.”

“Wait, what?”

Tifa leaned forward and kissed Aerith on the cheek.

It was over in a second, and Tifa’s face was red hot as she sat back. Aerith was wide-eyed for a moment, her face blank, before Tifa could make out a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Aerith huffed, making a show of crossing her arms and pouting. “That’s cheating!”

Tifa couldn’t help it, she started laughing. Sure, her stomach was in knots over what she had just done, and there was a warm feeling in her chest she wasn’t sure how to explain, but she felt lighter than she had all evening.

Aerith was watching her, smiling.

“Okay, let’s stop dilly-dallying and get back inside, alright?” she stood, holding her hand out to Tifa.

Tifa took it and let Aerith lead the way back to their room.

* * *

“Hey Tifa?”

“Hm?”

“What do you like to do for fun?” Aerith was sprawled across the bed, kicking her feet in the air.

She looked up at Tifa, who was sat next to her, noting the pensive expression on her face.

“Come on, there has to be something.”

Tifa shook her head, “I haven’t really… had time. Between the bar, the neighborhood watch, looking after Marlene and AVALANCHE, the only free time I usually get is when I sleep.”

Aerith sighed. She swung her legs down, using the momentum to propel herself to an upright sitting position.

Putting on her best ‘stern’ voice ( _love you, mom_ ), she spoke, “Unacceptable. You’ve got to have fun sometimes, Tifa!” She placed her hands on her hips to emphasise how serious she was pretending to be.

That got a small smile out of Tifa, but it disappeared soon after.

“But really, no hobbies?”

Tifa wrung her hands, “Well, I used to play piano.”

“Ooh!” Aerith leaned forward, her hands on the bed, “I’ve gotta hear you play sometime!”

Tifa raised an eyebrow, “It’s been years, Aerith, I don’t think I’d be any good at it now.”

“So what?”

“Huh?”

“Tifa, it doesn’t matter if you’re good at it. What’s important is if you’re having fun with it.” Aerith grinned at her. She walked over the bed and dropped down next to Tifa. “So, you like music, well, how about when we get to somewhere that has concerts, we stop by and see a show?”

“I don’t know, Aerith…”

“Hey, _you’re_ the one who said we have to take care of ourselves, this will be good for you. It’ll be okay to cut loose and have fun for a little while. Besides,” Aerith added cheekily, “our shopping plans got ruined, so you owe me a date.”

Tifa was quiet for a moment, and Aerith was worried that she had pushed too much.

Then Tifa gave her that adorable, warm smile and nearly took her breath away again.

“Okay, let’s do it!”

“Alright!” Aerith pumped her fist, “We should go all out with it, make it a real night to remember.”

Tifa smirked a little, “What, get dressed up all fancy?”

“Why not? It’s our night to feel good about ourselves and show off a little. You’re a knockout, and I don’t care what those Wall Market creeps say about me, _I_ am a snack.” Aerith crossed her arms, in mock offense at all the comments about how ‘homely’ she was that she’d received. “Besides, I have a _great_ butt. Don’t deny it, I know you’ve checked me out.”

She was teasing, of course, but blinked in surprise when she saw Tifa’s face turning almost as red as her eyes, which she quickly tried to hide by turning away.

“Oh my god! You did? When? Tell me!” Aerith leaned closer, unable to keep the grin off her face or stop herself from laughing.

Tifa deliberately avoided eye contact – Aerith couldn’t get over how shy she was sometimes – and was looking at her hands, dark hair hiding her face as she replied, “In the sewers. Before we made plans to go shopping. You were climbing that ladder and I just, couldn’t stop looking.”

The poor thing sounded so apologetic too. _How are you so cute?_

Tifa yelped in surprise when Aerith hugged her from the side, still giggling.

“Oh Tifa, don’t worry about it! I’m taking that as a compliment, that is the best thing I’ve heard all day.” She wiped a tear of laughter from her eye as she let Tifa go, glad to see she was looking a bit less embarrassed over it.

Aerith yawned, stretching her arms as she did. “Okay, I think we should get some sleep. Finally.”

Tifa nodded, standing and stepping away from the bed.

Aerith grabbed her arm, stopping her. “Hey, where are you going?”

Tifa pointed to the couch, looking confused. “Well, there’s only one bed, so I was going to sleep there.”

Aerith shook her head, “Don’t be silly. You aren’t going to be comfortable on there, and there’s plenty of room here with me. It’s okay, I won’t bite.” She said warmly, seeing Tifa’s cheeks turning pink. Then she winked, “I _might_ cuddle a little bit though.”

That made Tifa chuckle. “Alright, fine. Let me just hit the lights.” She said, rolling her eyes.

Aerith nodded, satisfied. She bounced over to the other side of the bed to give Tifa some room.

After she had turned the lights off, Tifa climbed in next to her. Aerith decided to make good on her joke and pulled herself close to Tifa’s arm.

“Aerith!”

“Hey, I said I might cuddle,” Aerith said slyly, before she found herself distracted by Tifa’s bicep.

Her arm was so firm and solid. Aerith bit her lip, moving her hands to inspect further.

“Aerith?”

Tifa’s voice snapped Aerith out of it. She was staring at her with those big red eyes, her expression puzzled.

It was Aerith’s turn to blush again, she hadn’t meant to get lost in the moment like that. Muttering an apology, she made to scoot over to her side of the bed, and give Tifa her space.

Tifa stopped her. Turning onto her side, she pulled Aerith into a hug, her arms around Aerith’s waist. Their faces were now very close together, close enough that Aerith could almost feel the heat coming from how much she imagined Tifa was blushing in the dark.

“Can we just… stay like this for a little while?” Tifa’s voice was shaky, uncertain.

Aerith smiled. She adjusted her position so she could better wrap her arms around Tifa. “Of course. Good night, Tifa.”

“Good night.”

The last thought Aerith had before she finally slid off to the realm of sleep was the satisfied realisation that she now knew what it was like to be held in Tifa’s arms – and here in this strange place so far away from home, she couldn’t feel safer anywhere else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, okay, longer chapter this time, and the penultimate chapter too.
> 
> There were so many different things I wanted to include in this chapter that I ended up having to scrap because it wouldn't have fit with the rest of the scene, or just dragged things out too long. Some of those things I've moved, others I have just had to make the decision not to include - maybe I'll revisit them some other time, who knows.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be back (hopefully) soon with the final chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Daylight streamed into the room through a gap in the curtains, the light falling on Aerith’s face.

She blinked, blearily looking around as the world slowly came back into focus. It took her a moment to remember she wasn’t at home in her room.

_Right, the motel._

Tifa was still asleep, her breathing soft and her expression serene and peaceful.

Aerith just lay there for a few seconds, smiling. It was nice seeing Tifa without all the worries weighing on her soul, if only while she was sleeping.

Gently, so she wouldn’t wake Tifa, she reached forward to brush a loose lock of her hair behind her ear. The morning light shining through highlighted her long eyelashes, her soft lips, all framed by her dark hair, which had gotten messy with sleep.

Aerith could have laid there for hours, waiting for Tifa to wake up.

Unfortunately, that plan was dashed by someone slamming their fist on the door.

“Ah! What the _shit_!?”

“Ladies! We gotta get movin’!” Barret’s muffled shout came through the door.

Aerith rubbed the spot where she had banged her head against the headboard, groaning.

Tifa’s eyes fluttered open, “Hm? Aerith?”

Aerith grinned at her, wincing slightly, “Morning Tifa! How’d you sleep?”

Tifa sat up, rubbing an eye with the back of her hand. She yawned and smiled sleepily at Aerith, “Hi. I’m feeling pretty good, how about you?”

“Never better!” Aerith tried to sound convincing and ignore the pain. “I think the guys are getting ready to go, we should too.”

Tifa nodded, before taking hold of both of Aerith’s hands in hers. Aerith had expected Tifa’s hands to be rough, like her own would get after a few days of gardening, but without her gloves they were surprisingly soft and smooth. Aerith decided she liked that about Tifa – that she wasn’t just what other people expected her to be. It was something they had in common.

Tifa was quiet for a few moments, before saying, “Thank you. For last night.” She looked up from their hands into Aerith’s eyes.

Aerith shook her head, “Anytime. We look out for each other, right?”

Tifa gave her a shy smile and Aerith’s heart started melting. It was too early for her to be this cute.

They sat for a minute in comfortable – if not mildly embarrassed – silence, before moving off the bed to get changed back into their gear.

As Aerith set about putting her hair back into a braid, she considered jokingly asking Tifa that she not peek. She decided against it though. Aerith liked to get reactions out of people, she had lots of fun teasing Cloud, but Cloud was different from Tifa.

When she needled Cloud, she knew he would either be confused or annoyed, but he wouldn’t get mad at her. Tifa, on the other hand…

She had noticed early on that Tifa was sensitive, and shy – and that bashful side seemed to have come out more as they spent more time together. Aerith worried that if she pushed too far, she would end up hurting Tifa’s feelings, which was the last thing she wanted to do, so she kept the teasing light enough that she hoped Tifa knew she didn’t mean any harm.

As she finished lacing up her boots, Aerith touched a finger to the spot on her face where Tifa had kissed her last night – that had been a surprise. _Reward, huh?_

She finished getting changed, sliding on her jacket, smoothing out a crease in her skirt and straightening the bow in her hair. There, all back to normal.

She had folded up her sleepwear and put it away with the rest of her things. Yes, they were tacky and cheap, but she wanted a memento; of the first night she had spent away from Midgar, and of this time she had shared with Tifa.

“You know, I can’t figure out how you fit so much hair in that braid,” Tifa said from behind her.

Aerith turned, a momentary admiring glance over Tifa’s abs, before she looked her in the eye, smiling, “If you like, I can show you sometime – I think you’d look cute with a braid.”

Tifa glanced downwards, her face tinged with pink. She held her hands together and looked back up at Aerith. “Aerith, have you been… flirting? With me, I mean?”

 _Gosh, she seems so nervous,_ Aerith thought.

Aerith gave her a warm smile, “Yeah. I have. Do you want me to stop?”

“No! No, I- I don’t mind, it’s just that I…” Tifa trailed off, avoiding eye contact now.

Aerith stepped forward, placing a supportive hand on her arm. “What?”

“Well, I… like it, when you do it?” Tifa put her hand on Aerith’s, but looked away completely as her blush deepened, her voice wavering.

Aerith could feel her own cheeks beginning to heat up.

“You don’t sound sure.”

Tifa swallowed. “This is all kinda new to me. I’m still trying to figure it out.”

Aerith nodded. She understood perfectly.

She looped a finger around one of Tifa’s suspenders, gently tugging her closer. She looked up into Tifa’s eyes.

Their faces were so close now.

Aerith licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry.

Glancing away, she said, “I can help you figure things out, if you want me to. Is it okay if I…?”

She had made the mistake of looking back into Tifa’s eyes and was lost for words. Tifa seemed to have understood what she was asking, though. Her eyes were wide and Aerith almost missed the small, stunned nod she gave. Aerith hadn’t seen her this jittery since the train graveyard.

Time felt like it had slowed down as she reached up and delicately cupped Tifa’s face in her hands. Her heart was pounding, her mind racing. It had been so long since she’d done this with someone.

She pushed up on her feet to match Tifa’s height, and pulled her ever so slightly closer.

_Just do it!_

She closed her eyes and closed the gap, her lips meeting Tifa’s.

Aerith felt the world fall away as her heart leapt. Nothing else mattered in this moment. She could feel Tifa’s chest against her own, the light touch of Tifa’s hands on her hips, and the heat coming from Tifa’s face against her own as they both got lost in this kiss.

Their lips parted. Aerith held on, touching her forehead gently against Tifa’s as they both tried to catch their breath.

Still panting, Aerith said, “So, buy you a drink sometime?”

Tifa laughed breathlessly, her radiant smile warming Aerith’s heart again.

“How was that? Did I help?”

Tifa took a moment to try and collect herself before responding, “You did. It was… wow!”

Aerith smirked. Flustered Tifa was never going to stop being adorable.

Aerith stepped away. “Okay, I’m gonna head outside, see you in a minute, alright?”

Tifa nodded, and Aerith walked out of the room.

As she closed the door behind her, Aerith sighed deeply. She felt exhilarated, and yet relieved – it felt like something that had been weighing over Tifa and herself had been lifted.

She looked out at the world in the morning sun, a new day which would bring new challenges, but she felt positive she could take them all on.

_One last thing first._

A mischievous grin playing on her lips, she re-opened the door, crossed the room and pulled Tifa sidelong into a hug. She smooshed her cheek against Tifa’s before planting a kiss on it. She booped a finger to her nose and let her go.

“That’s _your_ reward. Bye!” She giggled as she ran back out again.

* * *

Tifa touched a finger to her lips, still thinking about that kiss.

She glanced behind her, further down the road where Aerith was. She and Barret seemed to be trying to work out the map he had gotten from the motel. Aerith was chattering animatedly to Barret, but waved to Tifa when she spotted her.

Tifa smiled as she looked ahead. The motel staff had told them that the nearest town was Kalm, which they would find if they just kept following the road. They would be able to properly restock with supplies and equipment there, and hopefully find a car or something they could use to get around.

“Tifa? You doin’ alright?” Cloud asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“I’m fine. How about you, you get enough sleep?” Tifa asked, deciding not to comment on the smeared dust on his face. Clearly, he had decided against taking a shower.

“Yeah.” Cloud looked around awkwardly for a moment, before trudging further ahead.

Tifa watched him for a moment, eyebrow raised. “Okay, guess that conversation’s over. How about you, Red?” she asked, looking to her left.

Red XIII nodded. “Better than I have in a long time. Thank you.”

Tifa kept pace with him for a little before slowing down so Barret and Aerith could catch up.

“Hey, Tifa!” Aerith beamed at her as she fell in step between them.

“Hey you two, find anything interesting on the map?”

“Nothing close,” Barret said as he pocketed it, “Good to have though.”

“Alright,” Tifa looked up at him, “How’d you sleep?”

“Slept like a baby!” Barret was still his old bombastic self, which Tifa was glad for. “How ‘bout you two? Sorry we sprang the shared sleeping arrangements on you like that.”

Tifa opened her mouth to reply but stopped as she felt Aerith taking her hand, lacing her fingers between Tifa’s.

“Oh, we did okay, didn’t we?” Aerith cheerily, grinning as Tifa felt herself reddening again.

Barret raised an eyebrow, a knowing half-smile on his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled his shades out, as Tifa tried to hide her blush.

He stomped forward, “Hey, slow down, spiky!”

Tifa looked back at Aerith, into those green eyes of hers, and shared another smile with her.

Behind them, Mom Bomb Motel slowly disappeared into the distance, awaiting the next weary travellers to pass through its doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that.
> 
> I was going to get this posted on Sunday like normal, but I was still riding the energy from finishing chapter four and wrote and finished it in two days, so. Here it is.
> 
> This story was a lot of fun to write, and a real learning experience as I've never really written anything like this before. Originally I wasn't going to have a full-on kiss here, I didn't feel that there was enough momentum towards that outcome and that it might feel maybe too much too soon when I planned this out, but as things went on and I went through this story with the characters, more and more it felt like having a kiss here would be the best, most logical and emotional pay-off.
> 
> Anyways, thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story, the response this story has gotten is more than I ever expected it to be, and I hope this was an enjoyable and satisfying conclusion!


End file.
